


A Family of Trees

by rabbitxheart



Series: Sterek Week 2016 [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Kid Fic, M/M, Sterek Week 2016
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-25
Updated: 2016-10-25
Packaged: 2018-08-24 15:15:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8376958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rabbitxheart/pseuds/rabbitxheart
Summary: This was written to the acoustic cover of Kids by Of Monsters and Men, because I'm original like that.





	

Before Derek came back, sometimes even before he left, Stiles would imagine life after Beacon Hills settled down. A pipedream to cling to when shit got too hard, when the bodies of his friends and family started piling up and hope became something you found in the tiniest of corners, where no darkness had managed to seep in. He’d drive by some random house, think to himself that the yard looked big enough for the pack to hang out in, the house large enough for them all to stay over. And every once in awhile he’d imagine Derek, a little older and a little greyer, cradling a small, sleepy baby in his arms, humming them to sleep. Maybe they’ll find a surrogate, maybe Stiles’ spark can help create life as well as it has helped _take_ it. The latter is more of a desperate hope to even the scales than a dream, but who knows. Stranger things have happened.

Things do settle down, and so do Derek and Stiles. They find a big house, closer to the shore than the woods, open and warm and _home_. The other parts of his pipedream to come up every now and then, but they’re still so young- Derek’s only been partnered with his dad for a year, Stiles just got his degree finished. Things are calm. They have time.

 

It’s just a few weeks before Stiles’ 25th birthday when Derek almost literally bursts through the door, uniform still on, and Stiles can tell he’s been crying.

“What’s wrong?” Stiles says, quickly checking Derek for wounds like he used to in the past. Derek lets him, even though he seems to be unharmed.

“I went on a call with your dad. He’s fine,” he says before Stiles can even think otherwise. “There were hunters. Almost an entire family gone.” Wincing, Stiles understands.

“Almost?”

“Youngest kid survived. She’s scared out of her mind, she’s all alone and she’s half-elven. I can pull strings to get her here but I had to talk to you first.”

If Stiles hadn't known Derek better, he'd just guessed he wanted to run it by Stiles in person. But it's six years since Derek came back and five since they first kissed, he knows him better than anyone still breathing and Derek is _begging_ Stiles to take over because he's close to crashing. 

“Of course, yes.” Derek tugs a little at Stiles’ sleeve and he takes that as permission to wrap him in a hug. Derek takes a moment to just breathe into his neck, and knowing how sensitive Derek’s nose is, he’s probably been choking on the scent of blood and misery all the way here. “The family by the library? The ones that had that leyline problem two years ago?”

Derek nods in confirmation.

“I’m calling Lydia, she knew them better,” Stiles says, then pulls back to look at Derek again. “Correction; you’re calling Lydia. I’m preparing stuff. How old is she?”

“Three,” Derek sighs. “She was upstairs sleeping, didn’t see anything.  I had to wrap her in a blanket and carry her outside to keep her from seeing. They used silver bullets and silencers.”

“So they’re professionals but new to the supernatural.” Silver doesn’t kill elves. It only takes a regular bullet to do that. "And she'll be alright in the guest room with one of us outside."

“Yeah,” Derek nods in agreement, sits down by the kitchen table. “She’s at the station with your dad.”

“Then she's in good hands for now. I’ll fix the room, you go grab a shower when you’ve talked to Lyds. Just throw the uniform in the hamper, I’ll do it later.”

“Thank you,” Derek says. He still looks utterly miserable.

“Hey.” He kneels, sets an anchoring hand on Derek’s knee. “We can’t undo what happened, no matter how much we want to, but we can keep her from a lot of what _might_ happen.”

"I just wish she wasn't alone." _There we go_ , Stiles thinks, glad Derek could relax enough to voice what they both knew he was thinking. 

"I know," he replies, and Derek leans down and kisses him. First on the lips, then a quicker one on his forehead. “I’ll get some clothes for you to change into,” Stiles says and stands, making his way upstairs.

Derek picks his phone back up, clicks #2 on speed dial. Odds are Lydia’s sleeping, but Stiles knows she’ll pick up.

 

A couple hours later Stiles watches Derek carry Keeva up the stairs, clutching Derek’s hoodie in one hand and a stuffed animal in the other. There’s a bag full of spare clothes, some of them hers, some of them belonging to her parents or siblings, waiting for her in the guest room next to the master bedroom. Tonight Stiles will stay awake while Derek sleeps, and when Derek wakes in the morning, Stiles will rest a few hours. And no matter what she needs, they’ll be there for her, for as long as she needs it.

Neither of them don’t know it now, but today is the day they bring their daughter home.

**Author's Note:**

> This was written to the acoustic cover of Kids by Of Monsters and Men, because I'm original like that.


End file.
